Mobile Symphony restructures staff; names Greg Gordon COO

Mobile Symphony Orchestra has announced it is restructuring its administration by splitting the duties of executive director to create two new positions, chief executive officer and chief operating officer.

Current executive director Greg Gordon will become chief operating officer and will be acting CEO while a search is conducted for that position. The symphony expects to name an interim CEO at the beginning of 2010.

Gordon will continue to work with music director Scott Speck and the orchestra on concert production, artistic administration and budgeting for the orchestra. The CEO will assume responsibility for strategic planning, business operations, marketing and working with the development staff on grants and major funding, according to the news release.

“The Mobile Symphony has grown and the job is now too much for one person,” board chair Celia Mann Baehr said in a news release. “Restructuring will create a management team that will ensure that we continue to grow, expand our outreach and remain financially healthy.”

Gordon, a lifelong musician and former horn player with area orchestras, said the move puts him closer to the orchestra.

“For me it’s an exciting opportunity to spend my time on the amazing product we produce — great music,” he said. “I’m very proud to work with Scott and an orchestra of the best musicians on the Gulf Coast. Without the constant pull of administrative duties, I can help make our artistic quality even better and expand our outreach into the community.”

ArtNotes: The University of Alabama Birmingham Visual Arts Gallery will present a retrospective of the extensive career of Fairhope artist Pinky Bass, Jan. 8 through Feb. 6 at 900 13th St. S. in Birmingham.

The exhibit will feature large-format pinhole photographs, handmade kinetic music boxes, multimedia works with hand stitching, and photographs and works that combine traditional handwork with contemporary media. An opening reception will be 5-7 p.m. Jan. 8. Admission is free. Information, call 205-934-0815.

The Jan. 8 opening reception at The Paper Wasp in downtown Mobile will feature a “Chesser Family Reunion,” says Vikki Turner Finch. “Every artist who has ever shown at the Chesser is invited to participate,” she says, “and we are going to ‘Chesser-up’ the gallery for the event.”

Artists are encouraged to submit two- or three-dimensional work that is 11 by 14 inches or smaller. Information, contact gallery proprietor at wmc219@hotmail.com or by calling 251-648-2058.

Last week we wrote about Michael Brant DeMaria, the Pensacola musician, psychologist, author and speaker, whose soundtrack album “Siyotanka” was nominated for a Grammy. Zone Music Reporter, a Web site dedicated to promoting all styles of New Age, ambient and world music, ranked DeMaria’s new “Ocean” CD No. 1 on its Top 100 chart for November 2009.

Rankings are compiled from radio playlists submitted monthly by more than 100 broadcasters worldwide, including the U.S., Spain, Mexico, Romania, The Netherlands, Belarus, Australia, Canada and Italy. Ocean is the second in the “Healing Sound” series.

“Composing this music served to heal and revive me from the devastating hurricane seasons of 2004-05 where we lost our home,” DeMaria said in a recent interview.

“As a psychologist and musician, I was interested in creating an ambient journey designed to help people deeply let go — including employing ultra-low bass sounds to help entrain brain waves toward deeper states of relaxation.”